High School Reunion
by MinDanFan
Summary: Mindy is in desperate need for a fake boyfriend for her 15-year reunion weekend. Enter Danny Castellano.
1. Chapter 1

Mindy Lahiri stared at the envelope in her hand with a sense of anticipatory dread. She knew exactly what hell awaited her when she opened the envelope. She was, after all, a member of Regent High School Class of 1998 Facebook page. It was that horrid time of year for her 15-year high school reunion. It was a glorious occasion to reminisce about being a chubby nerd that no one technically teased, but no one really befriended either. She could skip it, but she had already missed her 10-year reunion because she was too busy with work. It was definitely _not_ because she was single at the time.

And here she was five years later and still single. She knew she had to go to this reunion, but there was simply no possible way she could go alone. She tentatively opened the envelope and dropped it on her desk like a hot potato. _Oh, you have to be freaking kidding me._ Apparently, this year, it wasn't enough to suffer through 4 hours of painstaking conversation and dancing with people she hadn't particularly cared to stay in touch with over the past 15 years. This year the reunion would be an entire weekend of "Friends, Family, & Fun" out on the island. Their former class treasurer had connections with a hotel resort in the Hamptons. _Great, so now I get to spend an entire weekend with my biological clock ticking down as I see everyone doing their best impression of the Jolie-Pitts._

Mindy sighed as she glanced out of her open door to observe the business of the office. Jeremy was talking flirtatiously to Betsy at the desk while Morgan rolled across the floor, enamored with chairs with wheels since they didn't have those in prison. She knew her best bet for a fake boyfriend was in this office, a thought which thoroughly depressed her as it reminded her of her relative lack of social life outside of work. She reviewed the possible players. Jeremy was trying his hardest to not be smitten with Betsy. Morgan was far too much of a wild card. There was no possibility that she would even consider inviting a Deslaurier. Danny would never forgive her. _Danny. That could be a possibility…_

Her attention was drawn again to the waiting area as she heard Betsy chirp, "Morning, Dr. Castellano."

Danny gave a grunted hello as he strode quickly into his office. He had that brooding and cynical exterior, but she knew he was a big softie inside. _I mean the man made a gingerbread house, bought me disgusting pizza after I was dumped, and agreed to drive me all the way to see my ex-boyfriend. Not to mention all those other nice things he's done for me this year._ They hadn't talked about their accidental hand-holding on the plane about two months ago, but she had decided in her own mind to chalk it up to fear of their impending deaths. Josh's voice asserting that he always knew there was something between them lingered in her mind, but luckily Mindy Lahiri was apparently an absolute genius at ignoring the signs.

She knew that Danny would pretend that this was the worst idea in the world and she was insane, but if she pleaded hard enough, he'd eventually cave and pretend to be her boyfriend. They were friends, in spite of him never asking for it, and she found that when she really needed him in the past he was always there for her. She tried not to dwell too much on why that was the case when he couldn't really be bothered with anyone else. She wasn't sure how good he'd be at pretending to be her boyfriend, but at least he was a warm body. At the thought of Danny's body, Mindy immediately flashed back to their conversation about un-lamplike feelings_. Fine, he does kind of look good in a t-shirt…_

Christina had made a brief appearance in his life after the trip to Sante Fe, but when Mindy asked about her a week after her surprise appearance at the office, he just told her that he had managed to finally get that closure of which Jesus Christ Superstar was so fond. In turn, she let him know that she'd decided to hang up her halo. She remembered his odd smile at this news.

_Well it's now or never._ Mindy smoothed her hair as she approached his office and struck a pose within his doorway. "Danny, you're looking especially handsome today."

Danny looked at her with his patented smirk of disbelief. "What do you want, Min?"

She ignored the little jump in her stomach at the nickname. "OK, so, I know you're totally going to call this ridiculous, but before you say anything, please remember that we're friends and I've been there for you and all I'm asking is this one teeny-tiny favor and I'll owe you forever and ever and ever."

When she paused to take a breath, Danny attempted to keep a smile of amusement off of his face and interrupted, "OK, slow down there and just ask me the question."

"Willyougotomyhighschoolreunionwithme?"

"Say again?"

"Fine, Danny, will you pretend to be my boyfriend at my high school reunion?"

She wasn't quite sure how to read the look on Danny's face. There was definite surprise, but something else was there. It wasn't displeasure. He almost looked a little pleased. _Why doesn't he look annoyed?_

That brief look shifted on his face. He still looked pleased, but in a smirking way. "You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"

"Yes, jeez, Danny. I didn't think I'd have to plead. I can't go alone and no one else is available. You were last on my list."

"Last, huh? Sure, I believe that."

"So…"

"Yea, ok, I'll go."

"Thanks, Danny! You're the best." As she walked out of his office, she quickly added, "Oh and by the way, it's actually a weekend in the Hamptons. So, yea, great, thanks for coming."

Danny leapt out of his seat and yelled, "Mindy!"

Mindy reluctantly peeked her head into Danny's doorway. "Yes, Danny," she said in her sweetest tone.

"What was that now?"

"I'm sorry! It's part of the reason that I can't go alone and have everyone rub my face in the fact that they're all married with ridiculously cute children. I promise it won't be too terrible."

"You know what's ridiculous? The idea that the fact you went to medical school and became an amazing doctor apparently means nothing to these people if you aren't married with 2.5 kids. Are they insane? They'd be lucky to be in your shoes. Idiots." He looked at her with that faint smile on her face and her eyes shining and added an exasperated, "What?!"

Mindy smiled and softly said, "You think I'm amazing?"

"Oh…um…well…that's not the point."

It was Mindy's turn to smirk. "Kind of is, _Dan_."

"Yea, OK, whatever. Fine, I'll go for the whole weekend."

"Thank you, Danny," Mindy squealed as she threw herself at him into a hug. "I owe you forever."

Danny watched Mindy walk back to her office and smiled. It was a ridiculous idea, but he could think of worse things than spending the weekend pretending to be her boyfriend. He tried to ignore that fluttering feeling in his chest at the idea of holding her hand again. _And dancing and walking into the room with his hand on the small of her back and pretending to be her boyfriend. And sharing a bedroom…_

Little did he know that the same thought suddenly occurred to Mindy as she gasped while passing by the main desk.

"Is everything OK, Dr. Lahiri?" Betsy inquired.

"Oh yea, everything's fine." A slight blush came across her face as she wondered what pajamas to bring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks everyone for the amazing reviews! This story was started after "Sante Fe" and I've gone my own direction of where they would be 2 months later (i.e., Casey is gone; closure with Christina). I don't imagine I'll include anything from any episodes since then unless it fits into my story line.**

Despite the fact that she invited him, Mindy didn't actually own a car, so Danny insisted on organizing their "travel arrangements" as he put it. He picked her up a few hours after work on Friday afternoon. With any luck, the drive would be less than 2 hours, though one could never tell with Long Island traffic.

Danny pulled up to her apartment building 10 minutes early, though this time it didn't surprise Mindy and she was ready at the door. Danny quirked an eyebrow as he saw the relatively small bag that she was bringing to the car. He grabbed it from her with a chuckle.

"What, I've learned to condense a little bit! Hold on though, I've got one more bag."

Danny shook his head with mixed amusement and aggravation as she grabbed a huge stack of hangers in a garment bag from behind the door to her apartment building. She smiled coyly as she approached the car again.

"Oh, I get it; the bag is just for your shoes. All of your clothes are on the hangers."

Mindy sputtered a bit but didn't contradict him. He was actually pretty spot-on in terms of her packing choices this time around. A high school reunion was _not_ the place to pack light.

She noticed Danny's eyes trail from her sneakers to her jeans and t-shirt, lingering for a millisecond before connecting with her eyes. She felt a bit self-conscious since this was not a typical look for when she was around him. She couldn't help but flash back to their battle of wills so many months earlier. She had almost forgotten that Danny had first-hand experience with certain aspects of her anatomy.

She smiled at him with a slight confusion on her face when he opened the passenger door for her. _Who knew Danny Castellano was such a gentleman? _Danny hopped into the driver's side and got himself situated as he glanced over at Mindy buckling her seat belt.

"You look cute."

"Did Danny Castellano just use the word cute?"

Danny pretty much ignored her comment as he continued his train of thought, "Not that I don't like how you normally dress. I mean you always look good, but I like the casual look."

As Mindy caught his eye, she noticed that Danny looked a little embarrassed. She decided to not tease him further about the compliment and just enjoy the side glances from him that he thought she didn't notice. Mindy noticed a lot more than Danny thought she did. She noticed when he appreciated particular outfits she wore and if she was willing to admit it to herself, tended to wear them more often once she noticed his approval.

Danny interrupted her brief reverie. "So, what's our back story?"

"You are oddly into this, Danny."

"Well, you may not know this about me but I actually took a few acting classes in college. I'm looking forward to getting into the character."

"Seriously, Danny? That is awesome! I don't think we really need a back story though. We can just be ourselves and we'll just say we moved from co-workers to friends to something more."

"OK, so when did we start dating?"

"Two months ago, obviously. The moment of turbulence on the plane. The accidental hand-grab and I started to pull away and then you held on a few more seconds. It's such the fundamental romantic comedy plot line!"

Danny was flustered into silence and Mindy was so embarrassed at her slip-up. _God, how stupid can you be, Mindy? _ They had this silent agreement to not talk about whatever it was that happened on that plane and she just stamped all over the unspoken guidelines to avoid this conversation.

"Yea, well, what can I say, _babe_, your skin is too soft to not hold on a bit longer."

Mindy choked on her sip of water as Danny winked at her and finally started the car and pulled into traffic. She had a feeling this would be an interesting weekend.

Three hours, one bathroom stop, and way too many Taylor Swift songs later, the car pulled into a long driveway that led to a large white colonial-style building.

"What is this place?"

"I'm not sure. The class treasurer has some connections and managed to rent the entire hotel for the weekend for just the class reunion."

"Well it's really nice. Are you sure I can't contribute to the cost at all?"

"Of course not, Danny! You're doing me a huge favor just being here."

"Well, it's not really a favor to be with you."

Mindy's breath caught as their eyes connected for just a couple of seconds too long.

"Sure," she said, breaking the gaze and silence, and a bit annoyed at the breathless tone in her voice. "I mean who doesn't love a free weekend in the Hamptons?"

Danny had looked away quickly when Mindy broke eye contact, but looked at her again with a small smile on his face. "Definitely."

He jumped out of the car to retrieve Mindy's bags and grabbed his own small suitcase. He caught Mindy eyeing it suspiciously. "Don't worry, Mindy, I've got plenty of nice clothing in here to impress your classmates."

"Good," she said with a teasing smirk. "I would hate for them to think my boyfriend has no style."

Danny chuckled as he slung an arm casually over her shoulder and steered them toward the entrance of the stunning building. "Ready, sweetie?"

"You're surprisingly into the pet names, Dr. Castellano…"

"You wanted a boyfriend? I'm ready to sell it."

Mindy wasn't sure exactly what she was expecting from Danny when she asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, but she was pretty sure wasn't what she envisioned. Danny Castellano might just end up being full of surprises this weekend.


	3. Chapter 3

After checking-in, Mindy and Danny were escorted to their room by a uniformed bellhop who looked no older than 16. They stayed a few paces behind as the young man struggled with their bags but adamantly refused their assistance.

"Seriously, how old is this kid?"

"Danny, relax. He's carrying our bags, not doing emergency surgery."

Junior opened the door to their cozy room…small, but quaint. As he closed the door, both Mindy and Danny opted to ignore the elephant in the room that was the queen-sized bed. A late-night mixer had been scheduled for starting at 9 PM. After an interchange in which Danny questioned the necessity of calling an event a _mixer_ and Mindy rolling her eyes at his expected yet misplaced frustration.

Mindy managed to get him off the topic by announcing the need to shower. After 25 minutes of conditioning, shaving, and plucking, she opened the bathroom door. Mindy was not a fan of dressing in steamy bathrooms because it made her unnecessarily sweaty, so she tentatively stepped into the bedroom and noticed Danny fast asleep on the bed with one arm above his head. She took a moment to appreciate his sleeping form, particularly the biceps peeking out from his t-shirt that she first really noticed during his pull-up marathon. She was after all only human.

"Danny," she whisper-shouted from the bathroom doorway. He didn't even stir. She took a few steps closer. "Danny, wake up!" Again, no movement.

She finally approached the bed, leaned over him, and shook his shoulders to arouse him. His eyes slowly opened and connected with hers. Mindy had heard of the phrase "bedroom eyes" but she was suddenly aware that she had never seen anyone look at her quite like Danny in that moment. As Danny's mind adjusted to consciousness, his eyes became guarded, no longer revealing what seemed to be there just a moment earlier. Mindy wondered if the desire in his eyes was just a figment of her imagination.

She took a few automatic steps back as he started to rise to his feet while averting his eyes from her general direction.

"Why are you in a towel?"

Mindy shyly responded, "I didn't want to get dressed with the steam in the bathroom so I left my clothes out here."

"Oh, well I'll shower then so you can get dressed out here," he stuttered slightly as he walked to the bathroom, still avoiding eye contact with her.

Danny didn't have similar distaste of getting dressed in the bathroom, so he emerged from the bathroom 20 minutes later with slate grey pants on and pulling on a white undershirt.

Mindy started to laugh as he started to button up his light-blue shirt, which matched her casual light blue cocktail dress with silver belt and sandals almost perfectly.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that we kind of match. It's sort of the cheesy couple thing to do."

"Should I change?"

"No! I_ like_ cheesy."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Mindy smiled at him with recognition that she was beginning to notice the difference between Danny's insults and his teasing statements that could almost be labeled as flirtatious. Looking back, she realized that her hadn't really done too much of the former in recent months.

Mindy felt a bit nervous and tense in the elevator down to the event and Danny quickly noticed.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. It's just that high school wasn't the best experience for me. I wasn't really bullied or anything, but I was a bit invisible. I wouldn't be surprised if no one remembered me."

Mindy tried to maintain a casual aloofness with this statement, but Danny sensed sadness beneath that exterior. As the elevator doors swung open and Mindy began to step out, Danny grabbed her by the wrist to pull her back slightly toward him. Mindy felt an electric tingle in her body that was intensified as Danny placed his hand under her chin and shifted her face toward his. Their eyes connected, which was expected and yet still startling to both of them.

"Listen, Min. I don't know what happened in high school or what these people were thinking, but if they couldn't see how amazing you were, then it's on them."

"Danny, you didn't even know me then."

"If you were anything like how you are now, then I don't need to have known you then. I know you now, Mindy. That's what matters."

Their gaze was interrupted by the sound of the elevator doors beginning to close and another hotel patron quickly sliding an arm in from the outside to stop the doors from closing.

Mindy didn't respond to Danny's comment and he wondered if he said too much until he felt her slide her hand into his own as they walked out of the elevator. He was aware that it fit their fake couple scenario, which made sense given they were about to enter the reception, but he couldn't help but notice it felt a bit too natural to be completely fake.

Mindy took a breath, looked back at him, and then used her free hand to pull open the door to the reception hall. She smiled and cheekily said, "It's go time, babe. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready."

"_Such_ a cliché, Dr. Castellano."


	4. Chapter 4

Mindy felt a bit antsy waiting for Danny to return from the bar. She twirled her silver bracelet around her wrist, solely to keep her hands occupied. She jumped as Danny approached her from behind, placing his hand lightly on her lower back and whispering in her ear. "Relax."

"Danny! You scared me."

"Sorry, though really it's not hard to do. You jump at the slightest noise."

"I do not! I have an appropriate level of startle reflex that any woman who lives in New York should."

Mindy would have been pretty impressed if she were able to view her and Danny from an outside perspective. Their joking conversation with the faint overlay of the intimacy of being so familiar with each other made them appear to be a genuine couple.

"Mindy?"

Mindy turned quickly to the red-headed woman approaching her. "Celeste! It's nice to see you."

Mindy hadn't been popular in high school, spending most of her time with her nose in chemistry books, and although Celeste was on the dance team, she was also a fellow science club member and one of the few people that Mindy felt seen by in high school. They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes with Mindy talking about her career in medicine and Celeste discussing her pharmaceutical research.

The mixer was only attended by about 20 class members and their spouses or partners. Most of the people with children had opted to come into town on Saturday. Mindy spent most of her time with Danny but was also surprised at the various former classmates that approached her. She hadn't realized that people even knew her name, much less would recognize her years later, especially since her appearance had definitely improved with time. Mindy was grateful that Danny was present to help guide conversation and she didn't hate that he bragged about her career accomplishments. It would be vain to do it herself, but having one's "boyfriend" do it made it perfectly appropriate.

After a couple of hours and a few martinis for her and "old man drinks" (her words, not his) for him later, both were feeling tipsy and tired. They bid their farewells and headed back to the room. Danny and Mindy laughed as they slightly stumbled into their hotel room. However, both quickly sobered up a bit when they realized that it was finally time to acknowledge the sleeping arrangements.

Danny toed the carpet with his shoe. "So, maybe I should call down to the front desk and see if they have a cot…"

"Danny, I forced you here for the weekend. I'm not going to make you sleep on some uncomfortable cot."

"OK, so, um…"

"It's a big bed. We're adults. We can just share."

"Oh, yea, of course. We're adults. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

Mindy smiled. "Such a gentleman, Danny. There's plenty of space. Or are you a cuddler?"

If Danny didn't know better, he would have assumed that Mindy was flirting with him._ It must be the alcohol talking…_

By the time Danny returned from his thoughts to the room, Mindy was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed. She came out dressed in a sleep dress from the Gap. It wasn't fancy lingerie, just a simple cotton dress, but she felt under-dressed when she walked into the main room and noticed Danny notice her clothing. He didn't say anything or make any acknowledgment verbally or nonverbally about her attire, but she just found herself aware that being in her pajamas around him felt oddly intimate. He had already put on pajama pants and had considered sleeping in just those like typical for him, but decided to leave on his white t-shirt this time.

Mindy stood awkwardly next to the bed, fluffing and re-fluffing her pillow. "So, I guess it's time for bed, huh?"

Danny shook his head. Despite her attempts to act natural, Mindy was clearly feeling a bit awkward. He tried to just play it off make this as comfortable as possible. He jumped under the covers and after Mindy finally joined, he turned out the light. They both lay there flat on their backs, ample space between them. They didn't say goodnight, both aware that despite the silence, they were awake.

"Danny."

"Hmm."

"You awake?"

"Yea, do you need something?"

"No, I was just wondering…did you tell people in the office about this weekend?"

"No, why? Did you?"

"No. I didn't want them to ask questions."

"That makes sense."

They settled back into silence which was interrupted by Mindy.

"When we visited Josh in rehab and I told him that my boyfriend made me come, he thought it was you."

Mindy could sense Danny's body shifting next to her. He turned slightly onto his side to face her, though in the darkness of the room, they couldn't see each other's faces.

"Huh, really? I wonder where that came from."

"Yea, me too…"

The air in the room was dense with tension and the bed suddenly felt smaller. The silence hung in the room as Danny shifted back to his original position.

"Goodnight, Mindy."

"Night, Danny."


	5. Chapter 5

Although they were still closed, Mindy squinted her eyes in reaction to the light streaming through the thin off-white curtains of the guest room. It took her a moment to remember her location. She had slept so well, which was a bit unexpected given the circumstances. She wondered if it was the quiet air as compared to the busy streets of New York. As she began to adjust to time and place, she became aware of a source of heaviness on her stomach. She had remained flat on her back in the same position as last night, which was unlike her typical sleeping pattern. She peeked one eye open and to the left and saw Danny's head buried into his pillow. He had clearly flipped to his stomach and although a respectable amount of distance remained between them, his arm was perpendicular to his body and casually draped across her stomach. _I guess he actually is a cuddler…_

Mindy wasn't quite sure how to proceed here. She thought about easing his arm off of her but didn't want to wake him. She could attempt to ease herself out from under it, but she was so comfortable. And truth be told, it didn't feel all that awkward to be in this position with Danny. Honestly, it might have been why she slept so well. Mindy always found that she slept a bit better when she felt someone else next to her. She had just never expected that someone else to be Danny though.

Mindy felt Danny stirring next to her and scrunched her eyes shut again. She could feel the moment when he fully adjusted to the room and realized how he had moved during the night. His arm shot off of her quickly but she kept her eyes closed. She had the sensation of being watched; when you know someone is looking at you and thinks that you aren't aware. And then the oddest thing occurred. She felt Danny's hand lightly move a few strands of hair from her face. _What the hell is happening?_

She took this opportunity to "wake up" and began to stir. She felt Danny leap out of bed and by the time she opened her eyes, he was gone and the bathroom door was closed.

She let herself lay in bed for 10 more minutes and by the time she had finally convinced herself to get up, Danny walked out of the bathroom in jeans but without a shirt. _Do not ogle him!_

Luckily, Danny seemed to be too caught up in his own strange behavior to notice her noticing him. He could only be described as awkward and uncertain. He looked at her but could only meet her eyes for a couple of seconds before his eyes darted away. He seemed on edge but challenged himself to speak.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

Mindy looked at the handy "Schedule-At-A-Glance" provided to her at check-in last night. It was 8:30 AM now and there really wasn't anything planned until the afternoon. "Well, there's free time until lunch. They have hiking trails, local antique shops, and of course the beach. There is a barbeque lunch along with games and activities which I assume are geared toward the kids."

"Well it's a great day for it outside. I checked the weather on my phone. What do you want to do this morning?"

"Hiking could be fun. It looks like one trail ends up on the beach so it might be nice to check that out."

"Works for me. I'll change into shorts."

There was lull in conversation as he sifted through his suitcase. After he finally found them and began to unbutton his jeans, he looked at Mindy, confused to why she just continued to sit in bed.

Mindy had been holding the sheet up to her chest and felt oddly uncomfortable about getting out of bed. Somehow, her sleep dress seemed smaller and more exposed in the morning light than it did last night. She wasn't quite sure why she brought it anyway when she definitely had pajamas more accustomed to spending the night with a co-worker. She felt stupid asking him to look away considering they just slept in the same bed and he didn't quite seem to understand what was wrong as he looked at her strangely. _So now I'm being the awkward one._

"Are you going to shower?"

She decided to just bite the bullet and jumped up and practically ran to the bathroom. She knew Danny was looking after her with confusion. It seemed that her awkwardness somehow managed to convince him to act normal and now all she had to do was use the time it took to shower to become a normal human being again. _Pull yourself together, Mindy._

With one big breath, she walked out of the bathroom, black stretchy pants, t-shirt, and hair in a ponytail. At sight of Danny, she exclaimed, "Danny! You look so….casual…"

"Well, yes, Mindy, I do own clothing that I don't wear to the office."

"I know, but I'm just so used to seeing you in dress pants and button-up shirts. You look good."

"I like the way you said that."

"How did I say that?"

"You know, _gooood_," he said in a high-pitched sing-song voice.

"I did not!"

"Mm hmm, sure, I told you, I know how you feel about me in a t-shirt…."

"Oh, shut up, Danny."

"And your look is so very 80's. Is our hike also going back in time?"

And they continued in this way as they walked out of the hotel room and headed on their hike. With all the awkwardness of the morning set aside, they were able to fall into their usual teasing routine easily.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the delay, but this is a bit longer as a reward! Please keep in mind that the story was started after Sante Fe aired so it doesn't follow anything from recent episodes. You can see how I dealt with Pastor Casey and Christina in earlier chapters.

Chapter 6:

Mindy glared at him from knee-deep water. "This is so not funny, Danny!"

"Kind of is, babe."

In an attempt to maintain her anger, she chose to ignore the unexpected term of endearment, especially since Danny didn't seem to have even realized that he used it. After a causal hike in the woods, they headed down to the beach. It had gotten hotter outside so Mindy peeled off her t-shirt to reveal a tank-top underneath. Danny took the opportunity during her distraction to scoop her up and run into the water, a move that may have seemed out-of-character for him, though Mindy stood by her assertion that some people just didn't know him well enough. He didn't technically _throw_ her in the ocean, but she still got pretty wet as he teasingly dipped her closer and closer to the lightly crashing waves. She finally wiggled out of his grasp and ended up soaking wet.

Danny attempted to justify his actions in the face of her anger, though he was pretty sure she wasn't _really _angry. "You know, I barely got you wet. It was all of your squirming that caused all the splashing."

"Sure, blame the victim. Just apologize, idiot!"

"OK, fine, I'm sorry! Seriously, I really am."

Danny approached her and reached out for an awkward hug, sort of like the one on the street after she realized that idiot Josh had a girlfriend. Mindy seized the opportunity and instead of hugging him, she went limp in his arms and the dead weight as he tried to hold her up eventually brought him down into the water.

"Yes! Take that, Castellano!", she celebrated, seemingly ignorant of the fact that she was now even more completely soaked. Danny shook his head as she danced her way out of the water, chanting, "Go Beyonce Pad Thai." He smiled a bit to himself as he jogged out of the water behind her. He was a fit guy who spent a fair amount of time at the gym. There was no way a 5'3" Mindy Lahiri could _actually_ take down Danny Castellano. _Still, it didn't hurt to give her that one._

About an hour later, they were hurrying down to the "Family & Fun Barbeque."

"This would be a bit more appealing if I actually had a family or husband or boyfriend or something…"

"Hey!"

"Fine, a _real_ boyfriend."

"You know, I'm starting to feel highly underappreciated," Danny said with a pouty sigh.

"Oh come on, Danny, you know I love you."

She meant it casually and they both knew that but the words hung between them like thick mist in the air at dawn until Danny broke the tension.

"Of course, I'm just kidding with you, Min," he responded while casually slinging his arm over her shoulders. The tension wasn't really fully broke though, especially when she reflexively wrapped her arm around his waist, bringing them closer together as they walked out of the hotel and onto the patio.

"Woah, it is packed out here. How many people went to your high school?!"

"I don't recognize half of these people. Although, I guess that would make sense if everyone brought someone who didn't go to our high school."

"So, where to?"

"Mindy craned her head to see beyond the crowd and noticed a few familiar faces on the lawn.

"Let's head that direction."

Danny nodded and puffed his chest up a bit to assertively prepare himself to get through the throng of people. He instinctively reached behind him to catch Mindy's hand in his grasp as they waded through the crowd. Mindy wasn't a huge fan of crowds, having gotten lost at a carnival as a child and tried not to think too much about the fact that she felt grounded and safe with her hand in Danny's hand. _Why does this feel so comfortable? It's Danny, after all!_ She shook herself out of her thoughts as she realized that they had stopped walking and were now in front of the targets of their approach with Danny looking at her expectantly.

"Mindy! It's so good to see you. I can't believe we lost touch over the last few years."

Danny eased his presence into the background, standing beside Mindy as she spoke with two women who he surmised were actual friends from high school based on their conversation. She was talking animatedly with her hands but remained close to him and he found himself keeping his hand slightly on her lower back. For reasons that he didn't wish to explore, he found that his body had a mind of its own this weekend and kept seeking out contact with Mindy. He smiled to himself as the Mindy he knew best emerged in the conversation, full of excitement and energy as compared to the nervousness and anxiety he observed last night. He didn't doubt that high school was a difficult time for her, but he also wondered whether she didn't realize that she made an impact of which she was not aware. As he heard Mindy and the other two women talk about Academic Quiz Bowl and Mathletes and karaoke parties and their adolescent fascination with various boy bands, he was struck by the fact that Mindy must have always had that unique combination of intelligence and endearing absurdity.

Danny was aware that he had been tuning out of the conversation when he felt Mindy tense up slightly as her friends talked about their families while pointing out their husbands chasing 5 kids in total.

"And who is this tall drink of water?", one of the women asked in a faux Southern accent.

"Wow, forgive my friend here. She's had a bit to drink this afternoon…"

"I figured, though I don't hate that I'm taller in her world. I'm Mindy's boyfriend, Danny Castellano." _Well didn't that roll off the tongue easily?_

"It's nice to meet you. Mindy, you are a lucky girl. If only my husband had ever looked at me the way this guy has been looking at you the past 10 minutes!"

Mindy blushed as she reflexively looked up at Danny and caught his glance for a briefest of seconds. _He looks nervous._ He was standing so close to her with his hand on her back, which she oddly hadn't really noticed. It had felt so natural. He had looked away from her quickly after their brief moment and she realized that during her daydreaming, he had carried on with the conversation.

"Now, now girls. Don't tell Danny too many embarrassing stories about me in high school!"

"Really, Min, could they possibly be any worse that the shenanigans I've seen you get into the past few years."

"Who says shenanigans? Such an old man."

"Five years! That's barely an age difference at all!"

"Aw, you two are soooo getting married."

It was almost amusing the way that Mindy and Danny's heads identically turned so fast as to almost cause whiplash as they turned to look at the individual who sing-songed their future so casually. After all, that wasn't something that one says to a new couple and she didn't know they actually weren't a new couple.

"And there's that alcohol talking again. I think I should deliver her to her husband and let you lovebirds get back to your cute bickering. See you tonight!"

They spent another hour at the barbeque as Mindy made the rounds amongst the few familiar faces that she did know. Danny had stepped away to freshen their drinks and noticed Mindy looking pretty uncomfortable in a conversation with another woman. She was tall and blonde and if Hollywood stereotypes were right, likely the evil head cheerleader of their high school days. In reality, she wasn't exactly evil, but had a knack for finding sore spots and exploiting them which Danny would know if he were within earshot of the conversation occurring across the room.

"Oh it's too bad you don't have any children, Mindy. They really are such a joy and life is so incomplete without them. And not married either, huh? I guess you just haven't found the right person yet. I imagine the singles scene is so lonely. I'm so glad that things worked out with me and Tony. They always say that the quarterback-head cheerleader relationship never lasts past high school but I guess we were the exception!"

Mindy was literally speechless. On one hand, the absolute ridiculousness of the woman's words baffled her, but on the other hand, sometimes life did feel less complete without a partner or children. She began to open her mouth to speak when she suddenly felt Danny appear by her side, make some sort of greeting involving "babe", and attack her lips with his. _OK, attack is a major exaggeration. _It was actually a very gentle kiss, but shock value threw her off. Within a few seconds, she recovered and began to lightly kiss him back. The kiss didn't last more than 6 or 7 seconds; they were in public around children after all. She had to admire his form though._ This man can seriously kiss_.

Mindy felt a bit proud as she watched Danny with a slightly smug smile on his face offer his hand to Natalie and introduce himself as _Doctor _Danny Castellano. _Well-played, Castellano._ Girls like Natalie always wanted to marry a doctor, while girls like Mindy focused on becoming the doctor themselves. After a few pleasantries, they managed to excavate themselves from the conversation and headed back to the room for some quiet time before the festivities of the night.

Mindy softly sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed that Danny had plopped down on. He had intended to turn on the television, but opted against it because it seemed like Mindy had something she needed to say.

"I don't _need_ a boyfriend or to be married. Honestly, I would much rather wait for the right person than desperately settle for the wrong person. Most days, I'm comfortable with where I am in life. But sometimes it would just be nice to have someone there."

"I know. Life can be hard and it's easier to not be alone. But take it from someone who got it wrong the first time…half of the marriages you see downstairs will end in divorce. You'll find the right person."

"I know. You're right. Is it terrible though that I wish I could just stick it to people like Natalie? Even if it's fake and it's more about them than me, I'd love to just pretend to have this thing that they so desperately think I need to be happy, even if that is sad."

"Nah, I think it's normal to feel that way sometimes."

"Well, in the meanwhile of waiting for Prince Charming, I'll figure out how to work these knots out of my shoulders on my own all the time!"

"You're tense," Danny said sitting up. "Come here."

"Um, why?"

"Why do you think? I am awesome at shoulder massages. Seriously, I should have gotten awards for this."

"Really, Danny? Could you be more arroga…oh wow, that feels amazing…painful, but amazing."

"See, told you?"

"Mm hmm," Mindy responded feeling a certain lack of coherence as the tension in her shoulders melted with each move that Danny's hands made. His fingers dipped slightly under the collar of her dress to gain better access to her shoulders and she was surprised at the softness of his hands. They held hands earlier but it wasn't until she felt them on her shoulders that she could really study them in this way. She felt her head loll forward and heard Danny chuckle. She would have made a snide remark but she felt too calm and putty-like in his hands to even bother to try to make sense at the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

*Yes, it's short, but it's a quick update and will be followed shortly with another!*

Chapter 7:

After that glorious massage, Mindy was incredibly relaxed and had a hankering for a bath, particularly because of the beautiful claw-foot tub in the bathroom which couldn't be taken full advantage of during a regular shower. Danny had turned on the television and absentmindedly flipped channels until he landed on HGTV. They had been watching House Hunters International for about an hour.

She glanced at him. "Um Danny, would it be weird for you if I took a bath?"

"Why would that be weird for me?'

"I don't know. If you shower after, you'd have to contend with bubbles, a loofa...you know, other girl things."

"I think I can handle it, Mindy."

"Okay, I'm going to run down to the front desk to ask about check-out tomorrow. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Mindy got back to the room less than 10 minutes later and met Danny as he seemed to be just heading out the door. He looked a little embarrassed as he clearly intended to be gone before she got back. She grabbed his arm before he could head out of the door.

"Hold on there, what's going on?"

"Nothing," he responded defensively.

She peaked in the bathroom. A hot bath was drawn. There were bubbles foaming on the surface and bath salts had clearly been used. He even lit the lavender candle on the sink!

"Dude, how are you single? I think I'm going to cry."

"And that is my cue to leave."

"Aw, you're back! Good, I kind of missed your smartass side, though I can't say I hated the stronger emergence of that sweet side I see from time-to-time in our real life."

"Yea, yea, well don't spread it around the office. It's one thing to be nice to you, but I'd like to reserve some of my crankiness for Harry Potter."

"You're a teddy bear, all mushy and cuddle-able. That's what you are, my dear friend."

"OK, I'm seriously leaving now. I'll be back in an hour."

"Bye, Danny. And thanks!"

He had headed out of the door halfway through her response, but peered his head back in the hotel room door just as Mindy had pulled off her shirt. "Sorry," he said averting his eyes. "I just wanted to say enjoy your bath."

Despite her state of undress, she bounded across the room for quick kiss on the cheek. She couldn't help it. _Who would have thought Danny Castellano would be like the perfect boyfriend, albeit a fake one._

True to his word, Danny returned an hour later. Mindy was dressed and putting the finishing touches on her make-up.

Danny had always thought that the phrase 'take my breath away' was a little ridiculous, but he had to admit that the sight of Mindy in that black dress did seem to make the air a bit harder to breathe.

Mindy didn't hear him enter and dropped her mascara wand as she heard a soft voice from behind her. "You look beautiful."

She turned slowly and met his eyes. "Thanks, Danny."

The moment hung in the air and they broke eye contact after a beat too long to be just friends. Danny slowly got his clothes ready as Mindy finished her make-up. They switched places as he jumped into the shower and she sat on the chair in the hotel room with her thoughts a million miles away. It made sense to feel like a couple when they were in front of the people because then it was just acting the part. But all of these private moments kept adding up and she was a bit worried about the sum total of them at the end of the weekend when they returned to reality.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Unusual for him, Danny actually ran a few minutes late getting ready. Mindy was curious but didn't ask, which was fortunate for Danny because the reason he showered so long was that he got lost in thoughts of what was happening between them, not to mention within him in terms of these as-of-yet unlabeled feelings for his colleague. _Ah screw it; she's not just a colleague. She's your friend…even if you didn't ask for it._ _Come on man, pull it together. None of this is real. You are here to do a job. Focus and execute the task, damnit! Do not make googly eyes or talk with a choked voice or any of that other crap from her stupid movies._

He had stupidly left all of his clothes except for his underwear in the bedroom_. It's no big deal. Just go out there. We're both adults. _He walked out of the bathroom as if it were completely normal for him to be in just his underwear in front of Mindy. She was obviously surprised and he could swear she inadvertently looked down and then blushed as she looked away. There was nothing for him to be embarrassed of there, though he refused to admit a part of him enjoyed her reaction. He had decided to switch to black boxer briefs after that embarrassing display of tighty-whities on the office floor after the break-up with Eye Patch. Based on Mindy's reaction, it seems like that was a positive decision. He didn't bother going back into the bathroom at this point, so he quickly pulled on his dress pants, t-shirt, and dress shirt. He started to put on his tie, but saw Mindy looking a bit judgmental behind him in the mirror.

"What, no good?"

"No, it's fine, but I like _this_ one better!"

"Oh, so we're going through each other's suitcases now, huh," he said teasingly.

"I'm sorry, but I saw what you had taken out and I wondered if you packed this tie because I've admired it before from the office."

"Okay, go ahead, my neck is yours." _Whoa, dude, relax yourself._

Mindy chuckled as she stood on her tiptoes, as she was not yet in her heels, to fling the tie around his neck and tied it for him. Never mind that they both knew he was perfectly capable of tying his own tie. He swallowed deeply as her fingers grazed his clean-shaven neck in the process. "There," she said patting his chest lightly. She followed it with a somewhat-whispered, "All done" as she caught his eyes, ignoring the way that they shone with something that she didn't know if she was ready to acknowledge yet.

Their eye contact broke and he looked down at the woman in front of him. _Hey, he's a guy after all._

"Danny Castellano! Did you just check out my boobs," Mindy said accusingly but with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"What? No, you're crazy. What are you talking about?" he responded as he moved away quickly and dismissed her with suddenly very Italian arm movement along with his words.

"You totally were," she responded smugly. "It's all good, man. I mean they look damn good in this dress, right?"

"Oh shit, Mindy. What am I supposed to say to that?", he responded with exasperation while he wiped his hand down his face. _This woman will be the death of me._

She slyly looked at him. "Just tell me the truth and I won't tickle you."

"What? No, hold on," he responded avoiding the fingers inching closer to him. She moved too quickly for him to escape and tickled his side. _How does she know that I'm ticklish there?_ He laughed in spite of himself. He couldn't escape her fingers until he grasped both of her hands with his own, essentially trapping her in his arms. And yet, she was still valiantly trying to get at him and partially succeeding. And then, the room stilled as he reached out and slowly trailed a finger from her neck down the opening in the front of her dress, creating a trail of fire on her skin. Her breath caught but then suddenly he was a few feet away, smirking that he succeeded at his attempt to distract her.

"Oh, you think you're so funny."

Danny put on his suit jacket and grabbed her wrap, placing it around her shoulders as he opened the door for her. She had walked out of it already when she heard his voice behind her. "Oh and Mindy, they're pretty spectacular." She didn't turn around, just kept on walking with a little extra bounce in her step. Besides, her butt looked awesome in this dress too so she might as well give him the full show.


	9. Chapter 9

**50 reviews! Thanks so much. And here is your reward...**

Chapter 9:

The evening party was quite elaborate, surprising both Mindy and Danny, especially given that tickets for the weekend were not very expensive. None of the children were present, which they soon discovered was because babysitters had been hired to run the children's party so the adults could socialize. The party was outside. The balmy daytime temperatures had cooled to perfect evening warmth and the expanse of stars was visible above the crowd. They mingled, sampled the buffet, and chatted with new and old friends. Danny talked to the husbands of the women from earlier in the day while Mindy continued to catch up with them and a few other high school acquaintances.

There wasn't much dancing happening so the DJ made the decision to slow the music down, which got a few couples out on the dance floor, including their conversation partners. They watched for a couple of minutes, until Danny extended an invitation.

"So, you want to dance?"

Mindy suddenly felt a bit shy because she wasn't the best dancer. But, she accepted his outstretched hand and he led them to the dance floor. They had technically danced before, very briefly at the club, but this was markedly different. Danny held her close...closer than she expected. They swayed together with a natural rhythm that would be unexpected for a first dance. She didn't mean to, but she found herself getting closer and closer to him with each beat of the music, finally resting her head lightly on his chest. They swayed in silence through the remainder of the song and the next one that came on. It was Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me," which Mindy had always liked. She was startled by Danny's voice because although he spoke softly, his mouth was so close to her ear.

"Mindy, remember how you said you wished you could just show them, even if it's fake?"

"Yes…," she responded pulling her head to a distance where she could actually see his face.

"So I have this idea that is crazy, but I feel like it's just the right kind of crazy for you."

"I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or complimented," she joked until she realized the seriousness on Danny's face and that he was taking a deep breath as if readying himself for something big.

"Danny, what is happening here?"

And then suddenly, there he was on one knee in front of her with a diamond ring in his hand. _What is happening? Wow, that is a nice ring. But seriously, am I dreaming or going insane?_

"Mindy," Danny whispered. "Everyone is staring at us, which is kind of the point, but any chance you could answer my question now."

"What did you ask," Mindy questioned, still in shock from these recent developments and having obviously missed the last few seconds of reality.

"Will you marry me?"

And finally, it all caught up to her. A fake marriage proposal to accompany this fake relationship! _Danny Castellano—you are a freakin' genius._

"Yes!" she exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. Danny rose to his feet and swept her in his arms. Her high school classmates were clapping and cheering. They remained with their arms wrapped around each other but their faces were far enough away to look each other in their eyes. Danny's eyes were crinkled with slight deviousness, but he looked oddly happy. Mindy's eyes were filled with amusement and surprise, but shone with affection. As if reading each other's mind, they realized that they might as well sell this thing all the way and leaned into a kiss. It was fuller and deeper than the one this afternoon and Mindy could swear she saw fireworks, which was strange because despite her avid love of romantic comedies, she thought the notion of fireworks only happened in the fantasy of the movies. And yet, here it was during this fake kiss, and with Danny of all people. She couldn't deny that she literally felt on fire, especially on any part of her body that Danny's hands even briefly ghosted.

They were interrupted by flutes of champagne being thrust their way and every woman in the room asking to see her hand. Danny was clapped on the back by a few men that he didn't even know. They barely had even a few seconds together over the next 20 minutes though Mindy managed to pull him aside for a brief moment.

"Oh my God, Danny. That was amazing! God, I have like so much adrenaline happening right now that it's not even funny. How did you come up with this? You are like seriously awesome."

Her rapid fire speech didn't leave much room for Danny to respond, but he got the sense his response wasn't exactly necessary during this gleeful high she was on.

"You. Are. The Best." she finished, grabbing him by the lapels for a kiss. She stepped back and began to stammer a bit because that kiss was far more spontaneous than the other two they had shared. She was saved by the evil head cheerleader pulling her to her table because she was simply dying to give her name of the florist and photographer from her perfect wedding. She turned back to see Danny still looking a little shocked, though he recovered and gave her a quick wink. She smiled at him and allowed herself to be pulled along. It wouldn't hurt to have the information for when she actually got engaged...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Mindy was still bouncing off the walls when they returned to the room, aided a bit by the champagne that had been continually thrust in their hands throughout the evening. Even Danny was feeling tipsy, which he hated because alcohol made him a little more loose-lipped than he preferred.

Mindy had kicked off her shoes the second they walked through the door and was practically yelling out to Danny while brushing her teeth in the bathroom. "This night was so crazy. God, how exciting is this!"

Danny shook his head from his spot on the bed. Drunk Mindy was always kind-of amusing. "Yea, it was definitely an interesting night. It's time for bed though don't you think?"

"Oh, fine, old man. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"I would think that would be you in this situation…"

"Sure, but I'm not wearing underwear," she casually responded just before taking a shot of Listerine.

"Oh Jesus, Mindy, are you trying to kill me?" _Do not say what you are thinking right now…_

He wasn't quite sure how she managed to still pull an innocent face while in mid-gargle of mouthwash.

Mindy closed the bathroom door halfway in order to change into pajamas and in his tipsy state, Danny forced himself to close his eyes. _It is not appropriate to violate your co-worker's privacy. It is not appropriate to violate your co-worker's privacy. _

She bounded out of the bathroom and literally jumped into bed and under the covers with him.

"OK, Dr. Lahiri. I know you're drunk right now, but it's time to calm down."

"Fine, Dr. Castellano. You're such a grump monster."

She made a face at him, but admitted to herself that she was feeling pretty tired. She yawned in spite of herself and turned off the bedside lamp, though the moon illuminated the room slightly anyway.

"By the way, I'm sorry I kept your fake proposal waiting for my fake answer. What exactly did you say while I was daydreaming?"

"Not much. You know me, Min. You're lucky the fake proposal didn't consist of me thrusting a ring box in your face and puking from nerves. It was a little easier because I was pretty sure I had it in the bag."

"I could've said no!"

"And why would you do that?"

"Good point. Still though, this ring is gorgeous," she said staring dreamily at her hand. "It looks so real."

"That's probably because it is real."

"Excuse me? Are you seriously telling me that this is a real diamond ring?"

"It was my great-grandmother's engagement ring. It was passed down through the family and my mother held onto it for me to give my future wife."

Mindy nodded silently though she had a million thoughts running through her head.

He answered her unasked question. "Christina never wore it. My mother didn't tell me about it until after the divorce. She never liked her and just didn't think the ring belonged on her finger. She wanted only the right person to wear it. I was a little mad at first, but she was right after all. Mother's intuition…"

"And you thought to take it with you for the weekend. I really appreciate it, Danny."

Danny had his eyes closed and was so quiet that Mindy wondered if he had fallen asleep. She kept staring at that beautiful ring on her finger, not entirely sure why she still had it on hours later. She was startled when Danny finally spoke again. "You're not the only one, you know? I worry sometimes about finding someone. I thought I had it, but it wasn't real. And now, I'm closer to 40 than 35 and still single. No kids."

Mindy interrupted, "Dude, you can have kids when you're 80. Don't worry."

"Well sure, biologically I'm not worried," he said giving her a pointed look to which she blushed in response. She wasn't sure why exactly, but there was definitely some veiled innuendo about his virility in that comment somewhere. After that mind-blowing kiss earlier, Mindy found her mind wandering to some steamy places. He continued, "I'm just saying that I get where you're coming from. I want what you want too."

Mindy smiled softly as she held his glance. _When did his eyes become so expressive? When did the faint smile on his lips start creating butterflies in my stomach? When did he become so damn attractive to me? _Mindy suddenly startled and sat up. "Oh my God, Danny! We have to take this off of my finger. Just think of your mother and all that she did to make sure the wrong person doesn't wear it!"

She began to twist the ring, cursing when it didn't come off immediately, when Danny grabbed her hand, similar to that moment of turbulence on the plane. Mindy was so shocked that she stilled her motions. He pulled her down slightly, almost into his side if she let gravity take hold. The air was quiet as he held her hand to his chest. "I think she would be fine with this," he responded in that deep, quiet voice that she had come to realize made her feel tingles up her spine. She tried to resist, but her body melted into his words and she let go into gravity, allowing herself to settle down into his side. They weren't looking at each other because it was easier without eye contact to pretend that this was somehow appropriate between friends and colleagues.

"I can feel your heart beating."

"A very good sign that I'm still alive."

"It's soothing."

"I'm glad."

Given how far the situation had already gone, Mindy decided it wouldn't hurt to get a little more comfortable. She placed her head on Danny's chest, now hearing instead of just feeling his heartbeat. She felt him tense up briefly and then relax. His free hand tangled into her hair, stroking it in a soothing, repeated motion. They had a choice to make here tonight and though unknown to each other, their thoughts were the same: _we'll worry about reality tomorrow; this fantasy is too good to pause now._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Mindy was in that blissful state just between sleep and waking when one's eyes are still closed and the brain is only partially functional. All she knew in this moment was that she felt amazing, which was not her usual state after an evening of drinking champagne. Apparently during the night, her hand had shifted from Danny's chest to stomach and she had inadvertently managed to snake her hand slightly underneath his white t-shirt so that it rested on his abdominal muscles. She knew that he worked out and had obviously seen him shirtless, but he seriously had muscles she didn't even know existed! She considered shifting to a less intimate position now that she was awake, but she was just too comfortable.

Danny felt Mindy stir. He had been awake for 20 minutes but hadn't moved a muscle. He felt like if he moved even just a millimeter, it would disturb her sleeping state. She looked so peaceful curled up into his side. Not to mention that his body didn't hate it when her fingers brushed along his stomach while she was sleeping. He knew this was all crazy but the line between reality and their fake relationship had gotten blurred and he felt mostly responsible. Deep down, there had always been something there for him with Mindy, but he avoided thinking about it too much. Other than the brief hand-holding in the chaos on the airplane, he hadn't even really considered thinking of them together in this way, but this weekend showed him that maybe it wasn't so crazy to go from colleagues to friends to something more. He just didn't know what she wanted and it scared him that it might not be the same as him.

The phone suddenly rang with a shrill tone, interrupting their restful state. Danny startled in reaction, causing Mindy to sit up quickly. They looked at each other and then quickly looked away.

"Hello," Danny said in a groggy voice. "OK, thanks for the reminder."

He slowly hung up the phone and cleared his throat. He looked at Mindy who was sitting up in bed with the sheet clutched to her chest and tousled hair. Danny's mind immediately went inappropriate places…

"They were just calling to remind us that check-out is at 11 AM and we should put our bags in the car before we head to the farewell brunch."

"Oh, right, of course," Mindy responded a bit awkwardly. "So, I guess I will shower now."

"Yea, sure, okay, sounds good."

Mindy laughed in spite of herself at his numerous affirmations. "You seem really OK with that plan, huh?"

"Apparently so." His gut response had been to ask her if she wanted company, but that would have definitely been inappropriate, not to mention a little too similar to something Dr. Reed would say.

Mindy poked her out of the bathroom and looked him straight in the eye. "We're good, right, Danny?"

He took a deep breath. It was amazing how much could be said with so few words. "Yea, we're good."

And with that, it seemed that the matter of last night was closed, at least for the time being.

They had slept in late and wanted to on the road, so they only went to the brunch for 45 minutes. It was a bit surprising how easily they fell back into the parts expected of them after the somewhat confusing nature of last night. And yet, to everyone else, they were simply the newly engaged couple in love. Although they both wanted to get on the road given the likely Sunday afternoon traffic back to the city, a certain hesitancy lingered between them as they were getting in the car. It was as if they both knew that getting in the car meant ending the charade that felt like more than that, but also felt unsafe to acknowledge. They talked every now and then, but most of the ride was in comfortable silence with the faint sound of music in the background. As they approached the city, the feeling in the car shifted to tension and awkwardness. With each mile driven, they left behind what had been and returned to their old life as colleagues and occasional friends.

Danny pulled up to Mindy's apartment and put the car in park.

"So, here we are."

"Yep, I guess I'm home."

"Do you want me to help you bring your bags upstairs or…"

"Oh, no. I'll be fine."

Danny had popped the trunk and jumped out of the car to unload Mindy's bags onto the curb.

"Thanks, Danny." She had an urge to hug him, but it felt odd. Despite all of their touching this weekend, she didn't know what was allowed to translate to their reality and what stayed in the Hamptons.

"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot to return the ring," she said as she removed it from her finger, suddenly feeling naked without it, and placing it in his palm. Her fingers brushed his slightly and she felt tingles up her spine again.

"It's OK. It would've been pretty funny if you wore it to the office tomorrow."

"Oh God, can you imagine? I'd love to see the reactions. Still though, I wouldn't want to tarnish the ring with any more deception."

"Yea, that makes sense."

"OK, well I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yea, have a good night."

Mindy picked up her bags and walked up the outdoor steps to her apartment. Danny had walked back to the front of the car, but hadn't gotten in yet. When she turned back, he was just standing there, watching her. She gave a sad smile for reasons she didn't completely understand and waved before closing the door behind her and heading up the stairs.

***Readers: Don't freak-out. it's not over yet. It's all going to be OK!***


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, we've reached the end of the journey, but stay tuned shortly for a new Mindy/Danny story of connected one-shots: "The Path to Un-Lamplike Feelings."**

Chapter 12:

Mindy walked into her apartment, took off her shoes, checked the answering machine, and then burst into tears. She slumped to the floor by her front door, her face streaked with tears and her mind running in a million directions. She didn't even know why she was crying. It was ridiculous. She felt an immense disappointment for a reason she could not identify. She picked up her cell phone and began an internal conflict. _I need to talk to Danny. No, that's stupid. Put down the phone. God, why do I need to hear his voice?_ She didn't know exactly what she was feeling, but she knew that it would be clear the second that she heard his voice.

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. She opened it and Danny was the other side. He saw her tear-stained cheeks and on instinct he placed both palms on her face and wiped the tears. He then jumped back as if surprised by his own action. She realized that she didn't even need to hear his voice to get the clarity she was seeking. The second that he walked in the door, she knew what she was feeling and the absolute tenderness of his hands wiping her tears solidified it. _I'm in love with Danny Castellano. _

During her reverie, Danny had been pacing back-and-forth, briefly stopping to try to sit on the couch but then jumping up again and continuing to pace. She began to open her mouth to speak and this seemed to jump-start him into finally talking.

"I've been sitting in the car outside of this damn apartment for 20 minutes. I couldn't pull away because if I did, then I feel like I'd be closing the door on something. God, Mindy, it all felt so real this weekend and honestly, I think it's always been there for me as much as I tried to avoid it. I realized that I want more than this weekend with you. I closed my eyes in the car and I saw it all—us in the future, you in the white dress, the kids, all of it. I want you to wear this ring again someday. I know this all sounds crazy. Trust me, I feel insane right now because I love you and you probably don't feel the same way. But, I feel like I'd never forgive myself if I didn't ask you to consider a date…just one date…"

"I don't want just one date, Danny."

The hurt flashed in Danny's eyes and struck Mindy like a punch to her gut, or maybe it was her heart. He had begun to turn away from her and she launched at him, grabbing his face with her hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"No, Danny. You're misunderstanding me. I don't want _just_ one date. I want everything you said, all of it. I want you. I love you too."

"Seriously," Danny asked.

"Of course! Why are you so surprised? You're right. There has always been something there between us. We just needed this weekend to realize that we can change our reality."

And with that, Danny pulled her closer and kissed one of the mind-blowing kisses that she had come to adore so completely. Mindy sighed when they finally came up for air.

"I'm glad I'm finally allowed to tell you that my toes literally curl when you do that."

"Yea, well, I'm glad that I'm finally allowed to tell you all those inappropriate thoughts that have been popping into my mind all weekend," Danny responded, digging his fingers into her hips slightly as he pulled her as close as possible

"Why, Dr. Castellano! Are you trying to seduce me?" she responded coyly, running her fingers along the scalp of his hair from the nape of his neck upwards.

"Mindy…," he said in a warning tone as his body shuddered from her touch.

"Sorry, babe," she responded while extricating herself from his grasp and walking away.

"Hey, where are you going," Danny said with frustration evident in his voice.

"Bedroom. Care to join?" Mindy flirtatiously said, throwing a wink in for good measure, amused at how quickly Danny ran to join her, scooped her up bridal-style and then walked to the bedroom with tantalizing slowness. _I guess the weekend is really just beginning for us..._

The next day, the new couple walked into Schulman & Associates holding hands. They had considered trying to keep their relationship under wraps, but realized that everyone would see right through the way they looked at each other.

"Dr. L.? Dr. C.?" Betsy said. "What's going on?"

"Alright, people," Danny said. "So, Mindy and I are together now. We decided this weekend. But please, no gossip or all that other crap you all do around here. Let's keep the line between professional and personal lives here."

Mindy let him do his little speech, but had been personally looking forward to making their little announcement. She knew that everyone would be thrilled given their usual interest in her love life.

"Is that it?" Jeremy said. "I'm surprised it didn't happen months ago."

"I actually thought you were already together and just hiding it from us," Morgan added.

Mindy decided to take control of the situation. "OK, let's try this again. We have a _big _announcement. We are together. We're in love and we're getting married someday. So I would appreciate a little excitement from all of you people!"

Jeremy offered a half-hearted fist pump, Morgan clapped Danny on the back once, and Betsy gave a small smile.

"Seriously, people?! How is this not huge news to you?" In her frustration, Mindy grabbed an unsuspecting Danny. He resisted for a second given his distaste for public displays of affection, especially in a professional setting, but quickly gave in. Meanwhile, their colleagues remained unfazed and took this as an opportunity to walk back to their respective office spaces.

"Babe, as much as I love you, I hate to tell you that it doesn't seem like anybody here cares that we're a couple now."

Mindy's annoyance melted away when she saw the way Danny was looking at her. She had learned that Danny's eyes always told the full story when he looked at her. After all, looking back now, she understood why she was so unnerved on the plane. If she had allowed herself to, she would've seen what he felt in his eyes right then, even if he wasn't fully aware of it yet.

And after 7 months and 16 days of loving each other, the engagement ring that was meant for her hand found a way back to her. Danny proposed on New Year's Eve atop the Empire State Building in the middle of a lightly falling snow. This time, Mindy didn't miss a single word he said. And Mindy didn't even bother to change her Facebook relationship status for a few weeks because it really didn't matter what other people thought anyway. OK, fine, she did post an engagement picture immediately on Twitter, but how else would her followers know that they lived happily ever after in the end?


End file.
